Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe

There are times for poetics, and there are times, such as this, where poetry isn’t needed. Easy Peanut Butter Fudge. The recipe title pretty much speaks for itself. In the midst of all the last-minute holiday planning (I’m sure many of us are doing), I figured that this would be a good time to share a recipe for some pretty kick-butt peanut butter fudge that is quick, easy, and must I add- doesn’t require a candy thermometer? Yeah. It’s that good.

Now, I know what you’re thinking- that I want you to make fudge in the midst of all this holiday craziness- I do, but trust me, making this recipe is child’s play. Well, sorta. I wouldn’t recommend a child work with boiling sugar, but the recipe is quite simple enough for anyone to make (did I mention you don’t even need a thermometer?), and dare I say quite delicious? Plus, it’s great to share with your friends and family.

It doesn’t take long to make. It all starts off by melting a stick of butter in a saucepan with a pinch of nutmeg. Once melted, milk and an earthy mound of dark brown sugar (quite a lot, I must admit, but one piece is really all that you’ll need to satisfy your sweet tooth for the evening) are mixed in. The entire mixture is brought to a boil for 2-3 minutes, without stirring (crucial!). After the mixture has boiled for a couple minutes, vanilla, and peanut butter are beaten in until smooth. After that, the peanut butter mixture is beaten in a mixing bowl with snowy powdered sugar, until smooth and lump-free (Well, free of sugar lumps). It’s then poured into an 8-inch square baking pan, cooled slightly at room temperature, and then chilled in the fridge for a couple hours.

Because I lack any patience to wait (we all know this), I let the fudge cool slightly at room temperature, then it makes its way into the freezer for an hour or thereabouts, until firm and completely cool.

Once cooled, I cut the fudge into 36 pieces, melt some chocolate, spread a thin layer on top of each piece of fudge, and let the chocolate set for a few minutes. After that, here’s where it gets a little fancy. Maldon Sea Salt. A nice pinch on each piece of chocolate-covered fudge. Yes.

The chocolate is a nice touch, but it’s optional. The sea salt, however, is something you must do. Well, the fudge is exceptional without it, but biting into a piece of fudge topped with a bit of Maldon Sea Salt is something you mustn’t miss. (Note: Fleur de Sel or even a few grains of fine grain sea salt might work, as well)

This recipe is pretty straight-forward. Melt the butter along with some ground nutmeg (it enhances the flavor of the peanut butter, so be sure not to leave this out), add the sugar, and milk, stir in the vanilla and peanut butter, mix with powdered sugar, and place in a pan to cool. I’ve tested the recipe with dark brown sugar and light muscovado sugar. You can use either.

The melted chocolate for the tops of each piece of fudge is optional, but it is a nice touch. There’s no need to go out and buy Maldon Sea Salt or Fleur de Sel for this recipe. Salty and sweet are the perfect thing in this rich fudge, but if you don’t have it, don’t worry about it. The fudge is just as good. If you have fine grain sea salt, a very small amount of that on top of each piece of fudge would work.

I recommend cutting the fudge into 36 pieces, feel free to make them even smaller. This fudge is sweet, and it’s rich- a little goes a long way.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large saucepan along with the ground nutmeg.

With a wooden spoon, stir in the brown sugar and milk, removing any lumps, and bring to a boil for 2-3 Minutes without stirring.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, then the peanut butter.

Put the powdered sugar in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Then, pour the hot peanut butter and sugar mixture on top of the powdered sugar, and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Pour into an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan, cover the top with parchment, and press down to smooth out the top (I use another 8-inch pan to do this) set aside to cool slightly (10 minutes should do), then place in the fridge to cool completely.

Turn the fudge out of the tin onto the parchment, cut into 36 squares (or smaller, if you prefer)

Melt the chocolate, and add a thin layer to top of each piece of fudge. Allow the chocolate to set, and sprinkle each piece of fudge with a few grains of flaky sea salt.

Happy Holidays, Kelly! I did tweak the recipe a bit from when I first shared it with you. When I first made it, I used smooth organic peanut butter (I drained the oil that settles to the top) and dry roasted peanut because that’s all I had on hand, but I figure that it’s easier to just tell everyone to use chunky peanut butter because it’s saves them the headache of draining and looking for dry roasted peanuts. So, yeah. Easier. And just as great. With more peanuts, of course! :)

Fred- I’ll keep that in mind for future recipes, as many sites are now doing that… Anyway, prep time is 15 mins give or take. As for waiting time (for the fudge to cool) it takes me around 1 hour using my cheater’s method (15 minutes in the fridge and ~45 mins in the freezer). For the “Regular” method, I’d say 2 – 3 hours to cool and set . It’s effortless to prepare. the waiting can be annoying, but in the midst of running around and trying to do several things at once, I don’t mind the wait. It’s not like you have to check on it every 15 minutes….

I think I will make this . . . like now. Chocolate, peanut butter and Maldon Sea Salt! What’s not to love? I’m trying to remember my mother’s chocolate peanut butter cup recipe. I do remember that one of the ingredients is molasses. Any ideas?

Suddenly I am craving fudge! And why have I never had peanut butter fudge?

I love your photos and find this omnipresent mysterious person a wonderful, personal touch. Are you the hand model in all your photos? I know it has nothing to do with the food but I’ve always been a bit curious about that. That and you/this person has excellent taste in shirts and I want to know where I can buy them.

Russel- Thanks! Yes, I’m the “mysterious” person in front of the camera (behind the camera, too). ;) As for the shirts- I shop mostly at H&M, occasionally Banana Republic (the shirt in this post is from here), sometimes Abercrombie & Fitch, and at any stores that I see have nice shirts and great sales! I hope that helps! :)

ummm, just googled for “easy works every time peanut butter fudge” and hit on this page. First one that popped up. Well, I must say, I hit the jackpot. In nothing flat, I have some of the best fudge and oh so easy to make without a mistake. Thanks, I will pass this site on for sure on my FB.